Major UK airports face chaos as electronic passport gates malfunction

LONDON - Passengers arriving in the UK experienced extensive delays at airports nationwide due to the malfunctioning of passport e-gates.

Frustrated travelers shared their anger as long queues formed at airports such as Heathrow, Manchester, and Gatwick. Though the Home Office confirmed on Saturday evening that all e-gates were back to normal operation, the disruption began on Friday night and affected all airports using the e-gate system.

The technology - which malfunctioned -  expedites passport control by enabling passengers to scan their passports and verify their identity through facial recognition. Manual passport checks were conducted for those affected, particularly at larger airports with e-gates.

The situation caused chaos and discomfort for passengers, with incidents of queue jumping and even fainting reported.

The eGates at Heathrow are now back up and running. Our teams remain on hand, closely monitoring the situation with Border Force and helping to get passengers on their way as quickly as possible.

— Heathrow Airport (@HeathrowAirport) May 27, 2023

A spokesperson for one of the affected airports said the mood among passengers had been "one of patience and understanding".

One of 300 passengers stuck in a queue at Heathrow Airport early in the morning said some passengers had overheated in the hot glass building.

"One poor elderly gentleman in his seventies traveling alone collapsed, and had to be helped by other passengers and staff. After that, bottles of water were distributed," he told BBC.

Eurostar passengers were also impacted, facing lengthy queues at Paris Gare de Nord due to the non-functioning e-gates. The busy travel weekend coinciding with the bank holiday and school break exacerbated the situation.

Besides, travelers departing the UK from the Port of Dover experienced delays due to failure in the French passport system. Despite the inconvenience, authorities reassured that there was no compromise to national security as all arrivals were thoroughly checked at manned officer desks. Fortunately, the Dover issue has now been fixed, but cars and coaches were waiting for about an hour, with about 400 lorries in que to make the crossing.

The disruption came as a shock to the travelers many of whom had planned the vacations for years as the travel restrictions during the pandemic didn't allow them board the plane.